Green Bay Packers: 3 CB Targets in 2021 NFL Draft
By Isaac Greig
MIAMI, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 05: Caleb Farley #3 of the Virginia Tech Hokies celebrates with teammates against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Caleb Farley – Virginia Tech, Junior (redshirt)
Caleb Farley of Virginia Tech is the prototypical cornerback for today’s NFL. Standing at 6’ 2” – 205 pounds, Farley has more than enough length to shutdown receivers at the catch point, and he’s done that during his college career.
Pro Football Focus measured Farley’s catch-allowed rate in 2018 and 2019 and as a redshirt freshman in 2018, Farley was targeted 54 times and allowed 32 completions (59.3 % comp) for 463 yards and 4 TDs, which are not great numbers.
However, we saw significant improvement out of Farley in 2019 as he allowed just 18 completions on 50 targets (36 % comp) for 257 yards with one touchdown. Given Farley’s heavy target count, we’ve been able to get a decent look at him, and there’s plenty to like. He has the feet to keep up with ACC receivers, and he will not be bullied off the route. With the ball in the air, he locates the receiver’s hands and contests every target.
However, Farley hasn’t shown the aggressive play at the line of scrimmage that you would expect from a guy of his size. He doesn’t show the natural coordination to fight with his hands, independent from his feet. He too often will give a step at the line of scrimmage and does not have elite recovery speed.
That aside, you can’t teach Farley’s length. That alone makes it difficult for opposing teams to complete a pass against him. For the time being he can fall back on his length while focusing his attention on other pieces of his game.
Farley has plenty of experience as a press-man corner and should be able to contribute in that scheme right away. With his size, he’s a perfect complement to Jaire Alexander. That pair would allow the Green Bay Packers to win one-on-one matchups every week.